Attachment to cultivating machines



Oct. 2, 1934. T. J. M TAVISH ATTACHMENT TO CULTIVATING MACHINES Filed Aug. 25, 1933 lryvhfor T. d. MTavialy 2'? Patented Oct. 2, 1934 4 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES:

Application August 25, 1933, Serial No. 686,687

' n In Canada June 29, 1933 Y :9 Claims. (01. 97-179) The invention relates to improvements in attachments to cultivating machines and an object of the invention is to provide anattachment which can be readily placed on theexisting machine to 5 positively prevent the undesirable lateral shifting of the cultivator shanks when the machine is operating under normal conditions on the field, such attachment doing away with the present tendency which the shank teeth have, due to lat- .10 eral sway, to pass around an obstruction which does not develop sufficient back thrustto release the safety trip springs with which existing machines are equipped.

A further object is to :providean attachment 1 5 which can be placed on existing cultivating mavention is to provide a guard for each shank of the cultivator, the guard being positioned consid- 'erably below the pivot point of the shankand providing 'a slot receiving the shank and to support the guards from the machine frame so that the. said guards serve when the machine is operating under normal conditions to prevent lateral shifting-of the lower end of any shank.

A further object is toar'range the guards so that they interfere in no way with the back swing 5 of the shanks when a major obstruction is encountered and such that they receive the "shanks when they swing forwardly after 'clearirig such major obstruction. v

With the above more important'andother minor-objects in View which will become more apparent as the descriptionproceeds, the invention consists essentially in thearrang emen t and construction of partshereinafter'more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which: 1

Fig; 1' is an end view of a-cultivating machine with the near wheel removed and showing it equipped with my invention.

' Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing a number of the conventional draw bars,. shanks and teeth and certain other parts with which I. equip the machine. I Fig. 3-is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View at 4- -4 Figure 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of ua 1 Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the slotted blocks. a v V n In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures,

The cultivating machine herein shown is of the conventional type known as a stiff-tooth cultivator and-in equipping a machine with my invention, I make no alteration whatsoever in any of the wellknown parts of the machine and as such machineis well known to those familiar with the art, I have not considered it necessary to show in detail all the various parts of the machine. 4

The main frame 1 of the machine is supported in the. usual manner by ground wheels 2 at the the slotted ends and it is provided forwardly with a suitably supported, lengthwise extending rod 3 which underlies the front part of the frame and which has pivotally mounted thereon long and short sets of draw bars, the draw bars 4 and 5 being arranged in pairs as is usual. The rear ends of the draw bars of the pairs are spaced a predeter mined distance apart by inserted blocks 6 fastened by bolts 7.

A downwardly extending shank 8 is provided for each pair of draw bars, the shank havingits upper end pivotally attached to the draw bars by a'pivot bolt 9 and its lower end bent forwardly and equipped with a cultivating toothylO.

,Downwardly extending spring-pressedpressure rodsll are attached to the draw bars in the usual way and to the upper end of each shank in a location somewhat below the bolt '9, there is fastened pivotally by a bolt 12 a pairof bars 13 which shanks'have about two and a halfl inches side play and veryshortly after the machine iszin use, this; side play develops and may become-six inches.

The-result of-thisisthat when cultivating, one or more of the teeth will go around a root, weed or the like instead of loosening or cutting it, this assuming of course that the obstruction does not release the safety trip spring provided and allow the tooth to clear. This passing by of the weeds often rec uires that a farmer go over his field several times before the field is properly cuitivated.

According to my invention, I provide means which prevents any tooth of a cultivator from swinging laterally sufficiently far to escape a weed and this accordingly results in the efficient operation of the machine.

In equipping the cultivating machine shown with my invention, I provide a similar equipment for both the front and rear row of shanks and accordingly the description of the attachment provided for one row of shanks will suffice, it being understood that the other row of shanks is supplied with a similar equipment in the same manner.

To equip the machine with my invention, I attach to each end pair of draw bars a vertically adjustable supporting arm 14, the arm having its lower end outwardly offset and provided above the offset with a longitudinally extending slot 15. In actual practice, the arm in each instance is fastened adjustably to the draw bars by removing the bolt 9 and passing the bolt through the slots 15 so that the said bolts when replaced serve not only to pivotally fasten the shanks to the draw bars but also to adjustably fasten the arm in place. The lower end of each arm oarries a bearing 16 and the bearings support a lengthwise extending shaft 17 which is fastened to the bearings by set screws 18. It will be observed that the shaft is located in advance of the row of shanks with which is associated.

On the shaft I mount slidably a plurality of similar guards 19, there being a guard for each shank. The guards carry set screws 20 and are provided rearwardly each with a slot 21, the slot being adapted to receive the adjacent shank. Actually the slots provide guard fingers 22 and 23 at each side of the shank and. these guard fingers are designed to prevent lateral swaying of the shank. The rear ends of the fingers are rounded to permit of easy entrance of the shanks into the slots.

On the top face of the outer draw bar, I mount a block 24 which has the face thereof next the arm vertically slotted to freely receive the arm and the block is fastened to the arm by a bolt 25 passing through the slot of the arm.

The device when placed on a machine will be adjusted vertically by manipulating the bolts 9 which allow the end arms to be shifted up or down and fastened in any desired position. Under ordinary conditions, the shaft 17 will be suspended in the horizontal position just slightly above the bend in the shanks and the guards will be secured by their jam screws to the shaft so that in the normal position of the shanks, the slots of the guards receive the shanks. After having set the end arms in the desired position, one will tighten up the bolts 25 with the blocks tightly engaged with the top faces of the draw bars and the blocks will then serve as a safety device to prevent rotary movement of the end arms around the bolts 9.

With this attachment properly set on the machine and the machine working, it will be seen that under normal working conditions of the shanks, the shanks remain in the receiving slots of the guards and accordingly should any tooth meet an obstruction which does not operate the safety trip spring provided, the tooth cannot go around the obstruction as it is held against lateral movement by its guard and accordingly it will have to cut or clear that obstruction and here it will be kept in mind that lateral movement of the guards as a whole-is prevented due to the fact that the other teeth are anchored so to speak in the ground, that is, they are travelling straight, as at that particular time, they are not engaging an obstruction.

A farmer can obviously set the guard carrying shaft high or low depending on the nature of the field he is cultivating but obviously it is desirable to set the guards as low in relation to the cultivator shanks as working conditions will permit.

It is pointed out that should any tooth engage an obstruction which releases its safety trip spring, the swinging back movement of the shank to clear is in no way interfered with by the guard and after the shank has cleared the obstruction, it returns in the usual manner to its working position and at such time will occupy the desired positionin the slot of the guard.

I might also mention that as the guard reinforces the shank in its normal working position, the cultivating tooth is always maintained in its true working position with the result that the tooth always remains clean and there is no additional drag. To make the above point clear, I may say that where 'no such attachment is used, the shank in time becomes twisted and the tooth consequently is thrown out of proper alignment and this results in increased draft and also in an increased tendency of dirt to collect on the face of the tooth.

What I claim as my invention is:-

1. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a plurality of transversely aligned shanks and cultivating teeth carried thereby, of means receiving the shanks in their normal working 115 position, said means preventing combined lateral sway of the shanks.

2. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a plurality of transversely aligned shanks and cultivating teeth carried thereby, of means 120 receiving the shanks in their normal working po- ,sition and preventing lateral sway thereof and permitting of the rear swing of any shank.

3. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a transverse row-of forwardly and backwardly swingable shanks and cultivating teeth carried by-the, lower ends of the shanks, of a guard member spanningeach shank in the forward position of the shank and permitting of the rear swinging of the shank, means tying the several guard'members together, and means supporting the-said tie means.

4. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a transverse row of pivoted rearwardly swingable shanks and cultivating teeth carriedthereby, of means connecting theseveral shanks together and preventing lateral displacement thereof in their forward normal working position, said means permitting of the free rear swinging of any individual shank.

5. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a transverse row of pivoted rearwardly swingable shanks and cultivating teeth carried by the lower end of the shanks, of a rigid ember crossing the shanks in a location in advance 1} thereof and below the pivot points, means supporting the'member' in a selected fixed position,

and guard members carried by the transverse members permitting of the free rear swinging movement of the shanks.

6. In a cutlivating machine, the combination with a transverse row of pivoted rearwardly swingable shanks and cultivating teeth carried by the lower ends of the shanks, of a cross rod in advance of the shanks in a location considerably below the pivot points of the shanks, means supporting the rod against movement, and a plurality of similar guard members mounted on the rod and spanning the several shanks, said guard members permitting of free rearward swinging movement of the shanks but preventing lateral sway thereof.

'7. In a cultivating macine, the combination with a plurality of similar draw bars, a transverse row of spaced shanks having their upper ends pivotally connected to the draw bars and cultivating teeth carried by the lower ends of the shanks, of supporting arms secured to selected. draw bars, a cross rod carried by the supporting arms and positioned in advance of the lower portions of the shanks and a plurality of similar guard members mounted on the cross rod and receiving the shanks in their normal forward Working position to prevent lateral displacement thereof and permitting of free rearward swinging of the shanks.

8. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a plurality of similar draw bars, a transverse row of spaced shanks having their upper ends pivotally connected to the draw bars and cultivating teeth carried by the lower ends of the shanks, of a pair of downwardly extending arms adjustably secured to selected draw bars, a shaft carried by the arms and crossing the lower portions of the shanks in a location in advance thereof, and a plurality'of guard members secured to the shaft and spanning the shanks, said guard members preventing lateral movement of the individual shanks in their nor- I mal forward working position and allowing of the free rear swinging of the shanks.

9. In a cultivating machine, the combination with a plurality of similar draw bars, a transverse row of spaced shanks having their upper ends pivotally connected to the draw bars and cultivating teeth carried by the lower ends of the shanks, of a pair of downwardly extending arms adjustbly connected to the end draw bars, a shaft carried by the lower ends of the end arms and crossing the lower portions of the several shanks in a location in advance thereof, and similar guard members secured to the shaft and spanning the several shanks to prevent lateral displacement thereof in the normal forward working position of the shank, said guard members permitting of the rearward swinging movement of the shanks.

THOMAS J. MCTAVISH, 

